2011 Huntington Estate Mudgee Shiraz, $25
Winemaker Tim Stevens thinks Aussies don’t understand Mudgee tannins, and he could well be right. Certainly they can be aggressive in the first year or two, an intensity that is born out of warm summers and old vines grown in old, lean soils. Accordingly, Huntington Estate cellars its Shiraz for a couple of years before release (32 months in the case of this one), enough time for it to have rounded out and softened. It’ll cellar for a lot longer yet but for those who’d rather drink well now than leave it for a day that might never come, this is a generous, full-bodied red with lots of oomph. Available direct from the winery.
